Identity can be redefined by letting go of buildings By Dan Heckel, Mount Saint Joseph Staff
In the 1980s, the Ursuline Sisters of Paola, Kan., decided to raze the original Ursuline Academy building and a second building used for classrooms and boarders – both of which were deteriorating. Sister Pat Lynch was a member of the Paola Leadership Council during that time. “I went to high school there for three years,” she said. “I understand why people cry when buildings come down.” Sometime in 2022, the former Mount Saint Joseph Academy and later Retreat Center will be deconstructed. The foundation is deteriorating on the building, the oldest of which was built in 1874. Sister Pat – completing her term as assistant congregational leader for the Ursulines of Mount Saint Joseph this summer – is in a unique position to understand the feelings and emotions of her Sisters and the graduates of the
Academy. “It’s important to let go. It’s important to ritualize it,” Sister Pat said. Following the merger with Mount Saint Joseph in 2008, the Paola Sisters said goodbye to their Motherhouse, which is now being repurposed as a drug rehabilitation center.
“The building up of institutions was a big part of their response to the urgent needs of God’s people.” -Sister Anne Munley Leadership Conference of Women Religious
“In Paola, we had several gatherings where we shared memories,” Sister Pat said. “We blessed the premises. We laughed and cried. If you make it a ritual, it makes it easier to let go. Letting go is hard. It’s important to pay attention to feelings.”
This photo shows the back of the original Academy building, with the Academy students dressed in their best. The date is unknown, but it must be before 1882, because the addition of that year has not yet happened. 8
RIGHT: The original Mount Saint Joseph Academy is in the center, with the 1882 addition to the right. The addition provided sleeping quarters for both boarding students and Sisters, as well as an auditoriumrecreation center on the first floor. In the top right, the statue of Saint Joseph is in the niche under the gable. The statue moved to a pedestal in front of the central doorway in 1890.
There is encouragement in knowing the Ursuline community isn’t alone in dealing with the emotions involved in saying goodbye to a beloved building, Sister Pat said. “I know it’s hard, but we aren’t the only ones this is happening to,” she said. “Every religious community is going through this, in one way or another.” An important message to remember is that buildings are simply the container for the ministry that occurred there. The mission remains. Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Anne Munley leads the Discerning Our Emerging Future initiative for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.
